Dahlia plant named ‘Dada White’

ABSTRACT

A dahlia cultivar particularly distinguished by white colored flowers, compact habit and good basal branching.

Genus and species: Dahlia variabilis.

Variety denomination: ‘Dada White’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of dahlia, botanically known as Dahlia variabilis, and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Dada White’. The new cultivar is asexually reproduced from vegetative cuttings and tissue culture resulting from the cross of the seed/pod parent Dahlstar Salmon (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,750)×DL 15-1, a white proprietary line that is unnamed and unpatented.

‘Dada White’ is a product of a planned breeding program intended to create new dahlia plants with white colored flowers, compact habit, good basal branching and moderately vigorous growth.

The new cultivar was created in 1998 in Andijk, The Netherlands and has been asexually reproduced repeatedly by vegetative cuttings and tissue culture in Gilroy, Calif., Andijk, The Netherlands, and Guatemala over a four-year period. The plant has also been trialed at Gilroy, Calif., Litchfield, Mich. and Andijk, The Netherlands. The present invention has been found to retain its distinctive characteristics through successive propagations; and this novelty is firmly fixed.

DESCRIPTION OF PHOTOGRAPH

This new petunia plant is illustrated by the accompanying photograph which shows blooms, buds, and foliage of the plant in full color, the colors shown being as true as can be reasonably obtained by conventional photographic procedures.

The photograph shows the mature inflorescence.

DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW CULTIVAR

The following detailed descriptions set forth the distinctive characteristics of ‘Dada White’. The data, which defines these characteristics, were collected from asexual reproductions carried out in Gilroy, Calif. The plant history was taken on 10 months old plants grown in one-gallon pots in fall/winter season, in a poly-covered greenhouse under 2-4 hours supplemental light and color readings were taken in the greenhouse in the winter season under natural light. Plants had been cut back numerous times prior to data readings taken. Color references are primarily to The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society of London (R.H.S.). Texture description details were observed under a dissecting microscope according to The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening (1992).

Classification:

Botanical.—Dahlia variabilis.

Commercial.—Dahlia.

Growth:

Form.—Upright, compact and mounding.

Growth and branching habit.—Good vigorous habit, well branched, full plant.

Height.—From soil level to top of blooms: Approximately 25-30 cm.

Width.—Approximately 30-40 cm including flowers.

Time to produce a finished flowering plant.—9-12 weeks.

Outdoor plant performance.—Fast cropping, free flowering, used in patio planters and mixed container plantings or garden beds.

Time to initiate roots.—Approximately 14-28 days in the greenhouse.

Root description.—Fibrous, white.

Leaves:

Arrangement.—Young foliage leaves are single and mature leaves simple or occasionally compound and trifoliate, opposite.

Length.—6.0-6.5 cm.

Width.—7.0-8.5 cm.

Leaf blade shape.—Elliptic.

Leaf margin.—Dentate/Ciliate.

Apex aspect.—Cuspidate.

Base aspect.—Attenuate.

Leaf color.—Upper surface, close to RHS 147A (yellow-green) and Lower surface, RHS 194A (greyed-green) with RHS 147B (yellow-green) veins.

Texture.—Glandular, Hispid (Strigrose on hirsute on veins).

Venation.—Pinnate.

Venation color.—Between RHS 146B and C (yellow-green).

Petiole length.—2.3-3.2 cm.

Petiole width.—0.3-0.4 cm.

Petiole color.—Between RHS 146B and C (yellow-green).

Petiole texture.—Hispid.

Stem:

Length.—25-30 cm.

Diameter.—0.4-0.7 cm.

Internodes length.—1.0-1.4 cm.

Color.—RHS 144A (yellow-green).

Texture.—Smooth, occasional hispid.

Stem anthocyanin.—No.

Peduncle color.—Between RHS 146B and C (yellow-green).

Peduncle length.—3.4-4.0 cm.

Peduncle diameter.—0.2 cm.

Peduncle texture.—Smooth.

Bud:

Shape.—Orbicular.

Diameter.—0.8-0.9 cm.

Length.—0.5 cm.

Color at tight bud.—Close to RHS N144A (yellow-green).

Flower:

Blooming habit.—Continuous all through the growing season. Good floriferousness.

Inflorescence type.—Semi-double flowers, face upward/outward, arising from leaf axis.

Flower diameter.—3.7-4.5 cm.

Ray petal color.—Front side, RHS 155B (white) and backside, RHS 155B (white). Petal length — 1.5-1.6 cm. Petal width — 0.8 cm. Petal apex shape — Mucronulate. Petal base shape — Attenuate. Petal margin — Entire. Petal texture — Papillose. Petal quantity — 25-40.

Disc petal color.—RHS 13A (yellow). Petal length — 0.8-0.9 cm. Petal diameter — 0.2 cm. Petal shape — Elongated, cylindrical, shiny. Petal quantity — 50-60.

Involucral bracts.—Usually 5.

Color.—RHS 137 (green) base color with RHS 191A (greyed-green) wide vertical striations.

Length.—0.5-0.9 cm.

Width.—0.3-0.5 cm.

Shape.—Elliptic.

Apex.—Acute.

Texture.—Slightly Strigulose.

Lastingness of individual blooms.—7-12 days.

Fragrance.—No.

Reproductive organs:

Androecium, pollen color.—RHS 14A (yellow-orange).

Gynoecium, stigma color.—RHS 13A (yellow).

Style color.—RHS 11D (yellow).

Pistil length.—0.9-1.0 cm.

Fruit seed set.—Not observed.

Disease and insect resistance: Not observed.

COMPARISON WITH KNOWN CULTIVARS

‘Dada White’ differs from the female parent ‘Dahlstar Salmon’ in the following ways: The female parent is salmon-yellow and ‘Dada White’ is a white and smaller flower. The female is also more compact than ‘Dada White’.

‘Dada White’ differs from the male parent DL 15-1 in the following ways: The male parent is a regular size dahlia and ‘Dada White’ is a small compact type. The male parent also is larger flowered than ‘Dada White’. 

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct dahlia plant as shown and described herein. 